


let flames rise, and passion with it

by TheBizarreHairTrio



Series: let the ocean take you into deadly embrace (one piece x the lobby crossover) [4]
Category: One Piece, The Lobby
Genre: 5+1 Things, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Gen, Gyojin-tou | Fishman Island, Multi, Not Beta Read, Oops, also don't be alarmed by the major character death warning, at least. i hope we all do, because i think it's really interesting how they went from that to this, because like. we ALL know what happens to him, before you start throwing stones like an asshole, do you think????? i should start????? tagging lobby divine forms, everyone knows about her even if they don't believe, for context, fuck i started rambling about pam in a fic she has like one line in, gerard and judas are both CANONICALLY poly, gerard and judas are married and they're like. really dumb, gerard can have a fiery boyfriend filled with self worth issues, gerard's gay and can appreciate ace's naked torso like the rest of us, i should write a fic about their relationship pre-pure one being an asshole, i wrote from ace's pov and i swear to gods i don't think i succeeded, oh fuck this is gonna be long, or whatever, she can do that, she's like the biggest goddess in this crossover universe, she's literally. the goddess of the fishmen and the merfolk tbh, she's the FUCKING OCEAN, then ace and gerard started like rambling and then i was like, this got away from me it was supposed to be like 1k but, which i'm WRITING okay i just really love pam, yes. pam does in fact chill as a mermaid incognito on fish-man island
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24547420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBizarreHairTrio/pseuds/TheBizarreHairTrio
Summary: The five times Portgas D. Ace met Gerard, and the one time he met he who is yearning.
Relationships: Gerard | Gee & Pam (The Lobby), hinted Portgas D. Ace/Gerard | Gee (The Lobby), implied Judas/Gerard | Gee (The Lobby)
Series: let the ocean take you into deadly embrace (one piece x the lobby crossover) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769800
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	let flames rise, and passion with it

1.

“Are you alright?!” sounds a concerned voice with a hint of panic above his head, and Ace groans, rolling over and heaving, trickles of water spilling from his mouth. The stranger thumps him on the back in assistance, continuing on. “You're lucky I saw you fall off your boat into the ocean; you might've drowned if I wasn't around. But I'll say, I've never seen someone just topple over unconscious like that. Did you eat something bad?”

He coughs out one final wheeze, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and sits up, turning to look his apparent savior in the face, and smiles politely, like Makino taught him, no longer feeling like he's swallowed liters of seawater. “Narcolepsy, actually. I just fall asleep wherever and whenever if I don't sleep well.” 

“Sounds pretty dangerous to have on the seas,” says the black haired man, with skin darker than his own and eyes somewhat gold, but not quite. He's strangely ageless, in a way that Ace would believe he would be fifteen or thirty-something, whichever got said first. He chuckles a tad sheepishly to himself.

“Yeah, well, it's not gonna stop me from being a pirate,” he proclaims boldly, eyes locked on the other’s. He knows being a pirate isn't a glorious profession; most people on Dawn think the worst of them. But he's not one to lie about his dreams, and he isn't going to start now.

The other smiles faintly, strangely nostalgic. “Depends on what kind of pirate you'll be, right?” He stands, brushing off his shorts, and smiles down at Ace. “I wish you luck, then, and hope you'll find a crew that’ll make sure you don't drown!” He moves, then—almost too fast for Ace to follow, and he scrambles to his feet, hollering after him.

“Wait, what's your name?” The other turns around, breaking out into a pearly white grin, and laughs.

“Common courtesy is to introduce yourself before asking after someone else!”

Ace flushes, feels the tips of his ears burn, and ducks down, abashed at forgetting the manners Makino taught him, but— “I'm Portgas D. Ace!” he calls. “Now tell me yours!”

Laughter leads, growing fainter, but the reply comes strong nonetheless. “Well met, Portgas D. Ace! I'm Gerard!” 

2.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” says Gerard from the seat beside him, and Ace lifts his head from where the side of it was dunked in his soup, making a face as it drips down from his hair.

“Gerard!” he says, startled but pleased. “And it was only twice now, and I wasn't even drowning!”

“That's because I turned your head for you so you wouldn't drown in your own soup,” Gerard informs him primly, spinning his cowboy hat on his finger before handing it back to Ace.

The tips of his ears burn, but a sudden idea forms in his mind, causing Ace to break out into a grin. He reaches for his hat, but before he touches it, transforms into fire.

Gerard makes a shocked noise, and Ace returns to his flesh and bone body, snatching up his hat and setting it firmly on his head, hair no longer dripping soup from his transformation. He laughs, holding his stomach. “You should have seen your face!”

The other smacks him on the shoulder, rolling his eyes, but doesn't lose the intent look from gold irises. “You're fire now?” he asks, a strange inflection on the words.

Ace laughs again, pushing his hat up with a lit finger. “Yep! Ate the Flame-Flame Fruit. Didn't really know it at the time, but…”

“Sounds like a very interesting story,” he replies, tearing his eyes away from the fingertip lit with flame to tilt his head at the fire logia. “Tell me about it?”

With a proudly animated expression, Ace launches into a tale of shipwrecking on an island and fighting with a man who would become his first mate over a fruit that they would discover later was a Devil Fruit, Gerard listening to him speak with a content smile and closed eyes, the crackle of flames always in his ears.

3.

“I really thought that the next time I saw you, I'd have to save you from drowning for the third time,” Gerard tells Ace plainly, having spotted him walk into Mermaid Cafe. 

Ace eyes him warily, before sitting down beside him. “Y’know, once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and the third time is enemy action. Are you following me?”

Gerard snorts into his drink. “Who’d want to follow you?” The mermaid next to him snickers slightly. He sets his glass down, meets Ace’s raised eyebrow with his own, and directs his attention to Masked Deuce, who arrived with his captain. “I'm Gerard, you must be Masked Deuce. I've heard a lot about you.” He outstretches a hand.

The masked man takes it cautiously, ignoring Ace’s slowly reddening face, a mildly exasperated look on his face. “And I've heard nothing about you,” he replies. “You know the captain?”

“Fished him out of the ocean when one of his narcolepsy attacks sent him overboard,” confirms Gerard with an amused tone. “Though, this is only the third time—”

“Didn't you hear me?!” Ace loudly interrupts, before pointing a finger at Gerard. “I'm still suspicious of you!”

“Why?” he asks, smothering his chuckles. Steam rises from Ace’s skin in response to his embarrassment, and he steadily grows even redder.

“Because this is the third time I've seen you! Are you following me?!” He puts his fists up. “If you're a bounty hunter, I've taken care of plenty of your fellows before!” 

“I'm not following you!” protests Gerard. “And I'm definitely not a bounty hunter!”

“An undercover marine, then!” Ace declares, and the mermaid sitting besides Gerard falls over laughing.

“G-Gee— a  _ marine!”  _ she wheezes out between giggles. “That's the funniest thing I've ever  _ heard!” _

Gerard stares at Ace, face a cross between insulted and horrified. “I,” he begins, “am  _ offended  _ by the very thought of you thinking I'm a marine. Really?”

Ace sputters. “Well, then why do we just so happen to meet?! I'm definitely not going out of my way to find you!”

“Have you ever thought about it being a  _ coincidence?”  _ asks Gerard incredulously. “I'm not going out of my way to find you, either. I have no destination, the only reason I'm here is to meet up with Pam!” He jabs a finger in the mermaid’s direction, and she waves, beaming. 

“But the third time is enemy action!” argues Ace, a stubborn set to his jaw. “I didn't even expect you to come anywhere near the Grand Line; I thought after I left East Blue, I'd never see you again!”

“I just  _ said  _ I was here to meet up with Pam! You know, a  _ mermaid,  _ on  _ Fishman Island,  _ which is in the  _ Grand Line. _ And I don't even live in the East Blue!”

“Aha! So you are following me!”

“Where do you even get that idea from? I'm a traveler, I go everywhere!”

“And where are you headed next, ‘traveler’?” Ace punctuates the word with air quotes, voice laden with doubt.

“The New World!”

“Hey,  _ I'm  _ going to the New World! You're definitely following me!”

“Not everything's about you!”

4.

“Well, this is a surprise,” says an all-too-familiar voice above him, and Ace groans, feels the tips of his ears burn red again. He quickly transforms into flames then back, instantly dried off, and tries for a sheepish smile at Gerard.

“Thanks for saving me from drowning again?” he says awkwardly. He hears the other sigh.

“No problem,” Gerard says, tilting his head as his eyes do a once-over of Ace’s collective appearance. The fire logia tries not to feel self conscious, tilting the brim of his hat a little lower. “Decided shirts were overrated?” There's amusement in his tone, and Ace feels the oncoming blush.

“No!” he protests, turning around and presenting his back, smiling as he remembers Whitebeard's care and acceptance. His back always feels warmer, with the old man’s mark—his  _ father’s _ mark—tattooed on it. “Have to show my allegiance, y’know?”

“Oh!” Light fingertips brush his back, and Ace tries not to shiver, tilts his hat further downward. “You've joined Whitebeard? And the last time I saw you, you were burning his flag.”

Ace spins back around, grinning wide. “Well, yeah, and I tried to assassinate him for a while, but…” He rubs the back of his neck. “The old man is really… worth it,” he finishes off lamely, unable to really describe the  _ why  _ of how he changed his mind and decided to become one of Whitebeard's sons. 

“I'm happy for you,” Gerard says softly. “You feel a lot more content with yourself. I'm glad.”

He smiles, body relaxing. “Yeah, thanks. The old man was pretty stubborn about having me as one of his sons,” he went on. “Even after my one hundred assassination attempts!”

Gerard laughs, bumping his shoulder against Ace’s. “Someone who could out-stubborn you? I can barely believe it!” he remarks, obviously referring to how Ace was insistent Gerard was following him for days before he finally managed to argue him into a standstill with a heavy dose of logic.

The fire logia laughs awkwardly. “Yeah…” He’s silent for a moment, thinking back to how Whitebeard had so easily accepted who’s son he was, despite Ace thinking for sure that this would make him give up. He eyes Gerard, struggling with himself, and takes a deep breath. 

“Hey, Gee?” he asks, falsely casual, already bracing himself for a negative reaction. Gerard was kind, Ace knew that, but… the name of that man tends to incite the worst reactions from everyone. “What would you say if Gold Roger had a kid?”

“Gol D. Roger,” corrects Gerard idly. “And, well. I'd probably wonder how he ever got laid with that monstrosity of a mustache on his face.”

That… wasn't what Ace expected. “What?”

Gerard groans, slapping his forehead. “Sorry, reflex. Friend of mine tends to correct people every time they call him Gold Roger.”

“... Interesting,” replies Ace slowly. But.. Gerard didn't answer the question, not really. “But the kid, what about his kid?”

Gerard raises an eyebrow, and Ace is  _ confused  _ by the lack of hatred, by the honest bewilderment and lack of hostility on the other’s face. “Am I supposed to take care of the kid?” he asks, confused. 

“What? No!” Ace sighs, turns to face his friend, and it's now or never, his emotions a tangled mess of feelings, and Ace doesn't dare to hope— “I'm the son of Gold Roger.”

“Gol D.,” Gerard absently corrects, and Ace makes a face, before hands wrap around his own. Gerard stares at him, strange almost-gold eyes locked with his, and there's a seriousness to his expression. Ace wonders if this is the part where Gerard says he never wants to see him again. “Ace…”

“Yeah?” His voice is surprisingly steady for someone who very keenly doesn't feel like it, huh.

“Swear to me you'll never bring that mustache back into existence,” Gerard says, and Ace’s mind just. Blanks.

He erupts. “Take this more seriously! I literally just told you my biggest secret—”

“Ace,” the other cuts him off, voice soft and still serious, their joined hands held between their chests. “Why should the identity of your blood father matter to me? Families aren't defined by blood; they're defined by  _ choice.  _ As far as I'm concerned, Whitebeard's your dad. Roger’s just your sperm donor.” He smiles, still soft. “I'm… glad you trust me enough to tell me.” 

“You…” He tightens his grip on Gerard's hands, glad he took them and too distracted to even think about being embarrassed by the fact that they're essentially holding hands. “You really don't care?”

He squeezes his hands. “Not at all.”

5.

“Gee?” Ace asks cautiously, Gerard’s eyes scanning his body. He takes his right hand, and the logia lets him, before realizing what he had found amiss.

“Ace…” says Gerard, voice barely above a whisper as a finger traces the mark over his pulse point. He raises his head and locks gazes with him, mouth pressed into a thin line. “What happened?”

Ace looks down at his right wrist, marked in the darkest black with clouds and lightning curled against raging waves. He remembers the oath he made—

(ocean and storm, hear my vow: 

this i swear, this man’s life will be mine to take

this i swear, his judgment will be mine to deliver

this i swear, his blood will be mine to spill

hear my vow: vengeance will be mine)

—but he doesn't regret it. Thatch is worth it. His crew is worth it. He won't let Teach go free. He'll execute Teach for his crime and betrayal either way; this was just insurance that he’d go to the deepest depths of hell, and a reminder to Ace of his purpose. He stares down at it, the mark of ocean and storm on his wrist, Gerard still tracing over it, entranced. Shitty gramps had the mark, too; but it was over his heart, less ominous somehow, in comparison to how Ace’s rested right above his pulse point. _It's a mark of my promise-oath,_ said Gramps when Ace had asked him about the mark when he'd first seen it. _A reminder and a warning, to always uphold Justice and remember what I'm fighting for._ _A promise made before storm and sea is one you can never break, lest the world itself turns against you._

_ “Ace,”  _ says Gerard forcefully, finally tearing himself away from the oath mark—

_ (tearing himself away from the finally so very  _ **_present_ ** _ touch of his spouse’s power, etched into ace’s skin _

_ it’s not for him, nor does the tiny sliver recognize him, but he basks in it anyways _

_ he misses them) _

—letting go of Ace’s wrist and folding his arms over his chest, staring Ace in the eye. “Was it worth it?”

Ace stares back, mouth set in a grim, determined line. “Of course it was,” he replies, tone brimming with solemn confidence. “For Thatch? I'd do whatever it takes.”

“You didn't have to go this far,” Gerard says, and he means it. You could exact vengeance without an oath; it's not  _ required.  _ And Gerard, he fears for Ace, for the possibility of him failing, even if the chance is slim. 

_ (he knows his spouse, even if they think he doesn't. knows mixing their domains, oaths and vengeance, is volatile. knows that even though ace is a d, a storm in his own right, favored by them, he won't escape if he fails to fulfill his oath of vengeance. he’s already cursed, eating the heart of an oath-breaker—becoming an oath-breaker too will doom him for eternity and past it, no matter how fond they are of him _

_ judas is never lenient on their favorites) _

“You think I can't do it?” demands Ace, bristling. 

“I know you won't fail,” reassures Gerard, “but… Ace, you don't understand the consequences if you do.”

The fire logia shakes his head, takes a step back. “I have to go,” he says, gritting his teeth and looking away. “Teach’s trail’ll go cold.”

“Ace—”

“Later, Gee.”

I.

It's magma, searing his insides, and Ace struggles, because his brother is in front of him and there's nobody else coming to their rescue and  _ Akainu isn't going to lay a single fucking blow on Luffy if Ace can help it.  _

There's a hole in his torso and he can  _ see  _ Death in his faltering vision, but Ace is a D., is the son of two D.’s, and he doesn't fear it. He smiles, at Luffy, at Pops, at Marco, at all his brothers, even if they can't see him. Even though he’s dying. He speaks, and it  _ aches,  _ it's  _ misery,  _ and Pops and his brothers probably can't hear him, but Marineford is silent. Maybe they can.

Ace has one regret and it's not being there when Luffy is crowned Pirate King, but there's no better way to go than protecting his brother. 

He’s still smiling as he falls, as his vision surely fails him, as he's wrapped up in the arms of bluish mist, and surely he must be delirious, because somehow it reminds him of being in Gerard's arms. 

_ Thank you for being born,  _ says the mist.  _ You are so loved.  _

And Death’s made him weak, made him see things, because he can  _ feel  _ Gerard, can see his almost-gold eyes, can hear his voice. 

(he who is yearning wraps the man cursed to be fire in flames of his own, lets them shelter him

you are so loved, he says to the man held in his flames, and who would know better than the god of emotion?)


End file.
